The present invention relates to a user interface method for an illustration edit system etc. which is installed in OA (office automation) products such as a personal computer, a workstation or a word processor. It provides a method of commanding a display system to cause events on a graphics display by the use of information of media convenient to a user.
In, for example, a graphics edit system, when newly entering a pattern anew, the following procedured steps have heretofore been required as stated in "MACLIFE" (No. 25, 9, published by Kawade Publishers): First, the pattern to be entered is selected from within a graphics pattern menu displayed on a display screen beforehand, by the use of a pointing device such as mouse. Subsequently, using the pointing device, the contour line of the selected pattern is pointed to, and the pattern is dragged to determine its input position. Further, in the case of determining the size of the pattern, the contour line of the pattern is dragged with the pointing device so as to adjust the size thereof.
A pattern can be designated by the vocalization of a demonstrative pronoun with an attendant gesture, as disclosed in B. A. Bolt: "Put that there." (Computer Graphics, 14, 3, 1980). Another method of designating a pattern is giving a name to an object drawn on a display screen, before the start of a graphics edit mode, and using the name for a voice command thenceforth.
By the way, the assignee of the present application has previously filed Japanese Patent Application No. Hei4-239832 (1992) as to improvements in a method wherein a voice command with an attendant gesture is issued in order to handle a subject displayed on a display screen. The patent application discloses a technique in which, among command content candidates obtained through the recognition process of the voice command, specified candidates are excluded from the subject to-be-recognized in accordance with the number of pointing gestures attendant upon the voice command.
As stated above, with the prior art, when the pattern is to be newly entered in the graphics edit mode, any of standard patterns is first selected to display the desired pattern on the screen. Thereafter, the size of the pattern needs to be designated. That is, the size cannot be designated simultaneously with the input of the pattern.
Moreover, the pattern already entered cannot have its size designated by the gesture.
Furthermore, in a case where the user wishes for a specified illustration, he/she must draw the illustration through, e.g., the combination of basic patterns by himself/herself. It is also troublesome that the naming job is required for designating the drawn object by only the voice input.